681: Leadership Starts with a First Impression: Owning Your Presence with Sylvie di Giusto, Keynote Speaker and Personal Branding Expert

I’m incredibly excited about today’s guest—Sylvie di Giusto—who is a globally recognized expert in personal branding, leadership presence, and first impressions.

Sylvie helps professionals and organizations explore how people make decisions about them—and what they can do to influence those decisions effectively. With a background in corporate training and a multicultural career across Europe and the United States, she brings a unique and powerful perspective to leadership development.

She is the author of The Image of Leadership and Fair Advantage, and she’s worked with some of the world’s top organizations, from the U.S. Air Force to Google, McDonald’s, and the NBA. Sylvie is also a CSP—Certified Speaking Professional—and a highly sought-after keynote speaker who combines psychology, strategy, and practical tools to help leaders take ownership of their personal brand.

In today’s conversation, we talk about how to craft a powerful presence, why first impressions matter more than we think, and what it means to lead from the outside in.

🔑 Key Takeaways from Sylvie di Giusto

• Perception Drives Opportunity
  Sylvie was inspired to focus on perception because it's often the silent deal-maker or breaker. The way people perceive us influences the decisions they make about our credibility, leadership, and potential—often before we speak.

• First Impressions Are Fast and Lasting
  First impressions are made in seconds and are difficult to reverse. They impact sales, leadership trust, and client relationships. In high-stakes environments, your visual and behavioral cues can speak louder than your resume.

• Unconscious Biases Are Always at Play
  Every human has cognitive shortcuts (biases) that affect how they perceive others. Professionals and leaders can’t eliminate these, but they can become more aware and intentional in how they present themselves to mitigate misperceptions.

• The Five Cornerstones of Decision-Making
  Success today requires mastery of five key areas:

• Visual intelligence – how you look

• Behavioral intelligence – how you act

• Verbal intelligence – how you speak

• Digital intelligence – how you show up online

• Social intelligence – how you connect with others

• Perception Can Be Reality
  While perception isn’t truth, it influences how others treat us. Therefore, managing perceptions is not manipulation—it’s leadership.

• Balancing Authenticity with Professionalism
  Professionals often struggle between “being themselves” and meeting organizational expectations. Sylvie suggests “authenticity within context”—knowing your audience and adjusting your expression, not your values.

• Rebuilding a Damaged Reputation
  To recover from a misstep, be transparent, consistent, and patient. Rebuilding trust is a process—and how you communicate and behave over time tells your story more than any apology.

• Managing Difficult Conversations
  Leaders must be mindful of the perception